This invention relates to an improved roller shade tube assembly, and more particularly, to a roller shade tube assembly having an extension wing for supporting a shade or fabric.
In the marketplace, it is very desirable to use fabrics in window covering systems. In most conventional systems, the fabrics are operated on or otherwise wound about a roller shade tube which is located inside a headrail unit. The fabric typically consists of an inside and outside sheet between which a series of light-blocking or light-diffusing slats are connected.
When the shade or fabric is lowered, it is desirable to have the light-blocking or light-diffusing slats turned substantially perpendicular to the window (or parallel to the floor) in order to allow the maximum amount of light into the room. In order to do so, in prior art systems, the tube onto which the shade or fabric is wound would have a diameter size which is at least as large as the width of the fabric slats.
In that regard, in current systems offered by the companies Comfortex and Levolor, the roller shade tube assembly utilizes a larger diameter tube design of approximately 1 1/2 inches. In the current Silhouette system being offered for sale by Hunter Douglas, the light-blocking slats are turned perpendicular to the window by utilizing a tube that has permanent extensions, effectively rendering the diameter of the tube approximately 1 3/8 inches.
As can be appreciated, the problem with current roller shade systems is that they require large diameter tubes, which necessitates the need for a large high profile headrail system. While it is possible, from a weight stand-point, to have a roller shade supported on a tube of a smaller diameter, a smaller sized tube does not have sufficient diameter to effect the turning of the slats so that they are directed perpendicular to the window. As a result, the headrail which carries the tube is typically greater than 2 inches or more in height in prior art systems, which consumers find to be somewhat unattractive. Moreover, because both the rail and tube are of a large size, cost is increased in manufacture and production.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a roller shade tube assembly which can operate a suspended fabric shade so that the light-blocking slats may be turned perpendicular to a window, yet have a tube size to enable a low profile headrail design.